Photo Courtesy of MTA New York City Transit/Marc Hermann
The MTA also announced that Phase 2 work on the elevated tracks atop the Myrtle Viaduct, located between the Myrtle Avenue and Central Avenue stations, will begin on Saturday, Sept. 2.
By Forum Staff
The reconstruction of the Fresh Pond Bridge on the M line will be successfully completed on Sept. 1 as scheduled, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority announced on Friday.
According to the agency, this will conclude the first phase of a $163 million project to replace two deteriorating M line overpasses.
During Phase 1, the MTA said it rebuilt the century-old Fresh Pond Bridge using modern building materials. According to the agency, the span is vital to M service, carrying trains to its Queens terminus and providing access to subway car storage yards. Completion of the first phase of the project will allow the restoration of train service to four stations on the Myrtle Avenue line in Queens, the MTA noted.
Phase 2 work on the elevated tracks atop the Myrtle Viaduct will begin on Saturday, Sept. 2. This century-old, 310-foot-long concrete structure connects the M with the JZ lines and has been in daily, non-stop use since it was built in 1913. The aging concrete deck has deteriorated after decades of heavy use and exposure to inclement weather, and must be replaced along with the tracks and other infrastructure.
The reconstruction of the Myrtle Viaduct, which is located between the Myrtle Av JMZ and Central Av M stations, involves building a concrete deck structure and safety walkways and installing new third rail, low-vibration tracks, new steel columns, new foundations, and new drainage. The work requires a full suspension of train service on the overpass to allow for its complete demolition and to provide unfettered access for workers. The work is expected to take eight months, ending in spring 2018. The demolition and reconstruction will ensure a smoother rider and quieter track operations thanks to the new rails and infrastructure, the transit agency noted.
“Work is on schedule for this critical M line reconstruction project that is sorely needed on the Myrtle Avenue Line. Without rebuilding the Myrtle Viaduct and the Fresh Pond Bridge, we would not be able to continue to run M trains safely because the deteriorating condition of these structures are getting to a point beyond what our crews can fix during routine maintenance,” said MTA Managing Director Ronnie Hakim. “We thank our customers for their patience and we hope they will agree that the short-term inconvenience now will be worth the improved reliability moving forward.”
During the final phase of the Myrtle Viaduct reconstruction, the MTA noted that M service operates in two sections: as local weekday service between Broadway Junction and Forest Hills-71 Av, and as a shuttle train service making all station stops between the Middle Village-Metropolitan Av terminus and Myrtle-Wyckoff Avs LM. The shuttle train will serve Metropolitan Av, Fresh Pond Rd, Forest Av, Seneca Av and Myrtle-Wyckoff Avs, running every 10 minutes during the day and every 20 minutes during overnight hours. At Myrtle-Wyckoff Avs, shuttle train customers can switch to the L line or free shuttle buses for service to the Myrtle Av JMZ station. Customers paying with a MetroCard who have exited at either Myrtle-Wyckoff Avs LM or Myrtle Av JMZ and then transferred to the free shuttle bus can re-enter the subway station at the other end of the shuttle bus route, allowing customers to connect between Myrtle-Wyckoff Avs LM and Myrtle Av JMZ without paying twice.
For service to Knickerbocker Av or Central Av, which will continue to be closed during this work, customers can transfer to free shuttle buses to the Myrtle-Wyckoff Avs LM and Myrtle Av JMZ stations.
